Knicks' Dolan says Oakley 'never should have made it to his seat'

While most NBA observers side with Charles Oakley, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan pressed forward with his version of events at Wednesday's Knicks game. The billionaire didn't mince words either; he says the 53-year-old former NBA All-Star never should have been allowed in the arena.

"It's very clear to us that Charles Oakley came to the Garden with an agenda," Dolan told ESPN Radio's Michael Kay. "I think that Charles never should have made it to his seat. And that's on us."

Oakley has an estranged relationship with Dolan and the franchise he played with for 10 years. The fiery former power forward has suggested in the past that the much-maligned executive is a "bad guy", perhaps one of the reasons Oakley wasn't included in this season's celebrations of the team's 70th anniversary.

Related: Dolan suggests Oakley has an alcohol problem, made sexist, racist remarks

Oakley said Wednesday that he paid for the ticket himself, which seated him near Dolan. The owner inferred that the former player was looking for a confrontation.

"I'm not inside Charles Oakley's mind," Dolan said. "He did say a lot of things a long the way that looked like he was heading in my direction."

Dolan also confirmed that MSG's vice president of security, Frank Benedetto, was fired in the wake of the incident which saw Oakley forcibly removed by several guards and then arrested by police. Dolan believes it never should have got to that point, and said it was the last straw for Benedetto, a former U.S. Secret Service Agent who protected Presidents Obama and Bush.

"It certainly was ... a situation where the person didn't work out and this was probably the last straw," Dolan said.